Bose - SoundLink Flex (1st Gen)

I tried several models during my search - Bose SL Flex (1 Gen), UE Hyperboom 4 and B&O Explore. The Bose by far sounded the best (out of the box - there’s no EQ) then the others (with EQ). I believe the 1st Gen can get a bit lower bass than Gen 2. If you can get a refurbished gen 1 direct from Bose it’s a pretty good price! If you get a pair I’m sure it will sound even better. I enjoy EDM and beats that have a bit more thump. Obviously the low, lows won’t produce in this size of speaker but the mid thumps are definitely there. For the size, the Bose (IMO) is the best sounding.

The Bose SL Plus will likely be a solid fit for you as Bose has a pretty balanced sound, out of the box. Not sure if you’re looking for indoor v outdoor but you might look into getting two SL Flex and setting them up in stereo mode. They sound incredible.

They are Gen 1. Could be a 5-10 second process but frequently it takes multiple attempts to get them to pair. Occasionally not at all. It’s finicky. If I can buy 2 that stay paired, without a downgrade, then that would be great.

Well it's a premium level well made and designed speaker. Once you hear it you understand why the price is like that. Yes it could be cheaper, but it's bose's branding. They use a high quality full range driver that is amazing at producing lows with minimal distortion. And it only uses bluetooth, it has no aux input. You can even get the older gen flex, which has bluetooth 4.2 but is still amazing sounding and is very similar to the new gen soundwise, can be found for even less than 100$

Well you get both in one. You get plenty of sound out of that speaker, and a pretty low latency, lower than anything iv'e tried. So my recommendation is the bose soundlink flex first gen. If you're able to find it for a good price (lower than 100$), you will be very happy with it i guarantee. Your choice mate.

Yea if you can that's great. I doubt you gonna return it 😅 It's miles better than the speaker you owned

I got this deal on the Bose flex last time they had it and I'm really happy with the speaker. Overall I prefer the Bose sound profile to the JBL. That being said JBL has a great speaker and I use them for parties where I might want louder sound. For personal use at 50-70% volume and I'm within 20ft of the speaker the Bose is great. My preferred orientation is facing up on a counter. I listen to everything but country with emphasis on metal and electronic generas. Some old skool hip hop too. Battery life and loudness aren't going to be as good as the JBL, but I got it for the sound profile which I'm more happy with. OH - and the costco version of the Bose doesn't have a microphone so you can't use it to make calls.

Totally agree - and that fact isn't readily apparent either! Considering it's shortfalls in loudness and battery life Bose needs additional features to stay competitive considering it's cost. On paper the Bose is a dog! It's a simple single speaker/radiator setup which is antiquated now. The only leg the Bose has to stand on is it's sound profile. Now this works for me personally but $100 is still $100 and I would have been happier had I gotten the microphone (which is likely in there, just disabled in software).

The JBL Charge 5 and Bose SoundLink Flex were everywhere, and from what I’ve used, they deserve it.

motion 300 sounds better to my ears than the flex, especially with some eq. the bose always sounds muddy and closed in due to it being mono

I found myself the Bose Soundlink Max the best in terms of sound quality. If too expensive, then a Bose Flex Soundlink, the small one sounds powerfull and amazing, even outdoors for small parties and its only about 100 bucks and the beauty of it is that they can be paired in twos so it gives an wide stereo effect, still cheaper then a Max.

Yep, mine, too. Annoying, as my other cheaper/less prestigious-branded Bluetooth speakers stay mostly charged even of if I don’t use them for a few months or even a year. The Flex is down to 50% in just a few weeks. Not good, Bose.

I have the Home Speaker 500 and it has wonderful sound… and I have been tipping my toes in the audiophile waters. Yes my 2 channel component hifi system sounds better, but it’s not practical to have that in every room! Also my go to portable paddle boarding speaker is my Bose Soundlink Flex, which sounds great!

If you want portable that you can take outdoors and get wet, check out the Bose Soundlink Max and Soundlink Flex. I have the flex and take it paddleboarding and camping and love it! Bonus: it floats!

I use Bose Soundlink flex and I liked it so much that I bought another 3. It's portable while having reasonable depth and clarity with deep bass and a balanced Bose sound signature as well. It fills small indoor environments with ease.